A receptionist at Tranent Medical Practice has given an emotional account of how upsetting it is to be abused "daily" by patients unable to get appointments.

Julie Anne Glynn posted on her Facebook page that she had quit her job because she had been left “feeling anxious and not sleeping" and that her "mental health needs" had to come first.

She detailed being "shouted and sworn at" because of where she worked and how it was all "too much to handle".

And the former Ross High pupil described in detail how the "NHS is broken", with a severe lack of doctors to fill vacancies, but that it was not the receptionists' fault.

She posted: “Tuesday, January 17 was my last day of working at Tranent Medical Practice.

I want to thank all the patients with patience for making my fellow receptionists and my job so much easier.

“You are the ones that understand that it is not our fault that the appointments run out.

“You see that it is not our fault that your GP is ill or not working that day you want to see them.

“You do not shout at us over the phone or at the reception desk and you do not swear and call us names.

“To have this verbal abuse thrown at you daily really does get you down.

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“The patients who understand that we ask for a brief description of the problem not because we are nosey but so the right doctor deals with you.

“Sometimes ladies need a lady GP and men prefer to see a male GP we want to do what is right for you and the GPs want us to ask you so they can be prepared for you coming in to see them.”

It comes after several members of the public posted on community Facebook group Tranent Folks to criticise the practice for its appointment booking system.

While many comments in Tranent Folks defended staff, Julie said many were still hard to read.

She said: “There are five or six of us answering the phones at any one time and so six appointments are booked.

“It takes roughly two minutes to book an appointment so every two minutes another six appointments are gone.

“Many patients are calling every morning and unfortunately we run out of bookable appointments. This is not our fault.

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“In an ideal world, everyone would be seen but unfortunately in this world the NHS is broken.

“[There is a] severe lack of doctors to fill vacancies. Locum GPs are extremely hard to get too, again though this is not our fault.

“The GPs are our employers and have given us a job description and rules to work by.

“Imagine your wife, daughter any family member who you love and care for coming home really upset after work and not being able going into details.

“Imagine how you would feel if she told you she had been shouted and sworn at because of where she works. How would you feel?”

“To read about it on Tranent Folks, the town where I live have lived since I was born, it all gets too much to handle.”

Julie has worked her notice at Tranent Medical Practice and will begin working at Astley Ainslie Hospital in Edinburgh where she says she is hopeful she will be less stressed with work.

She said: “I am really sad that it has come to this. No more working on my doorstep but my mental health needs to come first.

“No more abuse, no more taking anti-depressants. No more feeling anxious and not sleeping because of thinking about my job.

“There have been good times too. I have worked with incredible women and I have made some lifelong friends.

“I am truly going to miss the hugs and kisses and banter that I have had with so many patients. Thank you for being kind.”

Mike Falconer, chair of Tranent and Elphinstone Community Council, said: "I hate to hear of staff being mistreated at their place of work. That is totally unacceptable.

"The issues regarding booking appointments are an issue across many medical practice facilities and this is not exclusive to Tranent.

"I understand people's frustrations as booking appointments online is not always easy.

"But there is no excuse for being abusive towards staff."

An East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership spokesperson said: “Across all public facing services, especially health and social care, it is vitally important that members of staff are treated with dignity and respect.”